Dental pad



June 4, 1968 M. J. col-EN DENTAL PAD Filed om.. 19, 1965 United StatesPatent O 3,386,440 DENTAL PAD Milton J. Cohen, 711 vConnecticut Ave.,Chevy Chase, Md. 20015 Filed Oct. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 497,887 3 Claims.(Cl. 128-268) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to acompressible and flexible dental pad of H shape configuration with thecross piece of the H being adapted to overlay either the open socketcreated by a freshly extracted tooth or a tooth in pain and the Wings ofthe H adapted to straddle the gums so as to hold the pad in place. Thepad may also be impregnated or otherwise contain a drug to eithercontrol and stop bleeding or to alleviate pain.

This invention relates to a more effective means of aiding in thecontrol of hemorrhage after an extraction of the teeth, plus amodification of same to produce a more effective means of retainingmedication within an area of the mouth for a prolonged effect.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a means of controlwhich will more effectively be retained in the area of the hemorrhage.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means for hemorrhagecontrol which conforms anatomically to the area desired for bettersealing of that area.

Another object of the invention is `to provide a modification of saidmeans of control which will produce a simple method of containingmedication to an area in the mouth.

Another object is to provide the above means in a way that wil be simpleto produce, inexpensive to buy, easy to use and be of a one-usedisposeable nature.

These and other objectives of the invention and the manner in which suchobjectives are accomplished will become more readily apparent from thefollowing description of the invention, read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross section of the invention ready to beplaced in the area desired, showing the anatomic relationship of saidinvention and the tissues to be treated.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross section of the invention showing theanatomic relationship between it and the tissues to be treated, as it isapplied and being used.

FIG. 3 is a 3 dimensional view of the device.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross section of the modification of thedevice, showing its adaptation as a container for medication andincluding the method of concentration of said medicament in the areadesired.

In brief, after an extraction the normal procedure today is to insert asolid wad of gauze over the open socket after an extraction after whichthe patient bites down upon same. However, since the patient willinvariably move the jaws around and even separate them slightly becauseof the taste and feeling of the gauze, nervousness, et cetera, the gauzewad will tend to move Iaway from the socket, thus defeating its purpose,plus `tending to gag the patient. This invention is intended to overcomethose objections by being so constructed anatomically that there is aninterrelation of parts involved between the device and the socket andopposing teeth which will hold the invention from moving away froward orbackward, and should the patient tend to open up his jaws any distance,the lateral wings of the invention prevents a falling into the mouthopening proper, thus eliminating any tendency to gag or swallow same.Also, in complete closing of the patients 3,386,440' Patented June 4,1968 jaws, the device assumes a natural position to preventuncomfortableness to the patient. Again, hemostatic medicationimpregnated within the bulk of the pad will definitely stay in theextracted area for more definite results. In the modified form, one ofthe wings of the device has merely been modified in such a manner as toform a pocket which is filled with a soluble powdered medication for thecontrolof local pain and since the device is of a porous nature, therewill be a time lapse for the saliva to penetrate and dissolve saidmedication, so that a prolonged effect is effected. The medication usedand its effects, has been accidentally discovered from use of saidmedication by patients, since it was noticed by the inventor many times,that when a patient presented hmself with a troublesome tooth, he hadused the placing of an aspirin besides the tooth at its gum area.Although causing a sloughing of the tissues or a whitening, said placingdid stop the pain for a certain period. The normal use of aspirin isthat it be swallowed to take effect upon the brain indirectly; theunscientiflc action of the patient showed that aspirin did becomeabsorbed enough to act locally in the mouth, so that it was natural :todwell upon the use of said aspirin as an analgesic which acted directlyupon the local tissues of the mouth. The reason for the sloughing orwhitening of the tissue was that aspirin is acid in action and hence wasburning the tissues, much as some patients claim that they get a burningfeeling in the stomach when they swallow aspirin. Hence, coupled withthe aspirin in the device is a neutralizer, or base, such as sodiumbicarbonate or any other chemical which will do the same, so that whenthe powder dissolves and bathes the surrounding gingival area, therewill not be any sloughing of said area, because of the neutralizingaction of the combined chemicals. I believe this device to be the firstattempt to use aspirin, buffered, locally in the mouth for a directlocal action by the patient himself.

Referring again to the drawings:

In FIGURE 1, is a longitudinal cross section of the device, an H-shapedsection of one of the new compressible porous cellulose materials,showing the device in position ready to be applied, the cross-bar of theH or body 4 being bulky, the top 7 and bottom 8 of said body beingconvex, said body being of sufficient length to encompass sufiicienttooth `or Igum area, said body being poised over the area of extraction5 and under the tooth 2 or force for compressability.

In FIGURE 2, the pad containing the aspirin and buffering chemical hasbeen utilized, and said body 4 has been compressed by the opposing tooth2 pressure, to effectively seal the socket 5 for hemorrhage control, andsimultaneously, with the closing together of the jaws, the wings 3, 9,10 and 11 have grasped the gum tissue 1 and 6, to insure a stableposition of said pad as it is used.

In FIGURE 3, is represented a 3 dimensional view of the device and itsintegral parts.

In FIGURE 4, is the modification, in which two of the wings have beenmade larger to form a bag or sack 12, said area 13 for holdingmedication being mlade by a slitting 15 almost all of the way through,leaving enough open area between the walls formed to make a bag effect,and Iwithin said bag -has been placed the medication powder 14. The body4, has been compressed between opposing teeth 2 and 16 for gripping saidbag, while its integral normal wings 10 and 11 aid in prevention of thefalling away of the pa-d as in FIGURE 2.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes maybe made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scopethereof and there-fore the invention is not limited by that which isillustrated in the vdrawings 4and described in the specifications, butonly as indicated in the accompanying drawings.

To use, one inserts one of the pads into the extraction area in such amanner that the wings of the pad are overlying the gingival or gum areawith the body 'bulk of the pad centered over the bleeding socket. Thejaws are then brought together, which allows the wings to cover more ofthe gum area and at the same time cause the bfulky pad to be compressedat its center against the open socket by the opposing tooth. Thispressurized pad Iwith its impregnated hemostatic medication causes theblood to clot, the porosity of the pad preventing a traumatizing Contactwhich 'could later cause undue added pain by the breaking of the clot.In the case of using the therapeutic medicated version of the pad, thep'ad is inserted with its win'gs lying along the gum area facing thetongue area, and having the bag portion lying against the gum area andthe cheek area. The jaws are then brought together causing the opposingteeth to bear against and grip the integrally connected thin layeredbody that connects the wings to the bag. Thus the therapeutic bag isheldin the area to be treated, and, lying in the mouth and thus held Iasdescribed above, the saliva eventually penetrates said bag and dissolvesthe combination of aspirin and buiering agent, and d-ue to the porosityof the bag, the solution formed between the medication and saliva comesout slowly from the bag so that the action is prolonged, to relieve thepain. After a prescribed period of time., the constituents of the bagare evacuated after which it is discarded.

-I claim:

1. A dental pad for the control of hemorrhage follow ing the extractionof a tooth or pain caused by a tooth comprising 'an H-shaped stnuctureformed of a compressible and flexible material, said H-shaped struct-urehaving `a center portion with |a first end and a second end oppositefrom said first end to form a cross-bar of the H when compressed, afirst upwardly extending wing attached to said irst end of said centerportion, a second upwardly extending wing attached to said second end ofsaid center portion and cooperating with said rst upwardly extendingwing for gripping Contact with the upper gingivafl surface areas, a rstdownwardly extending wing attached to said first end of said centerportion and a second downwardly extending wing attached to said secondend of said center portion and cooperating wit-h said rst upwardlyextending wing for gripping contact with the lower gingival surfaceareas.

2. A pad as in claim 1 wherein a medic-ation is contained in said pad.

3. A pad as in claim 2 wherein said medication is contained in 'a pocketin at least one of said wings of said pad.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,501,544 3/1950 shronrz 12s-26sADELE M. EAGER,P1imm-y Examiner.

